She will be running more than 34 miles, climbing more than 7,500 feet through mountains in the Lake District, pushing herself to the limit to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

Joanna Pancarowicz, Specialist Nurse Organ Donation

But the thought of families who agree to donate their loved ones’ organs in the event of their deaths will keep Joanna Pancarowicz going through the gruelling challenge of her first ultra run during Organ Donation Week.

“The families show immense courage to agree to organ donation,” says Joanna, a Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation at Hull Royal Infirmary.

“The furthest I’ve run before is a half marathon but I like to challenge myself and this takes me out of my comfort zone. But I’m running in honour of the families of donors who go through such immense pain to make decisions to help others.”

Joanna will take on the Five Valleys Ultra Challenge from Ambleside to Keswick, covering 56.5km (34.7 miles) with a total elevation of 2,303 metres  (7,555 feet) on Saturday, September 27.

Joanna has worked with the Organ Donation team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals since August 2023.

Sixteen families from East Yorkshire consented to organ donation between April last year and February this year after their relatives were declared deceased. Additionally, 20 families agreed to tissue and ocular donation following their loved one’s death.

Across Yorkshire, 373 patients received a life-saving or life-changing transplant in 2023/4.

More than 100,000 transplants have been carried out since the creation of the Organ Donor Register in 1994. However, the waiting list for a transplant is currently the highest it’s been in an decade, with more than 7,900 people in the UK waiting for the call.

If you’d like to help, join the register and tell your family of your wishes so it’s easier for them in the event of your death.